The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured breathtaking images of the expanding shells of carbon-rich dust around the massive binary star system WR 140. Located 5,000 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus, this system is a prime example of how binary star interactions shape the formation of our cosmic neighborhood.
At the heart of WR 140 lies a duo of massive stars, one an O-type behemoth and the other a Wolf-Rayet (WR) star. The two stars’ gravitational pull creates a complex dance, bringing them closer and farther apart every 7.9 years. This close encounter results in a sleet of material from the WR star colliding with the intense radiation wind from the O-type star.
The collision between the particles from both stars compresses into clumps, cools, and forms carbon-rich dust – tiny particles that can be as small as millionths of a meter. These dust shells then begin drifting outward, forming ring-like structures around the binary system. The JWST’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) has imaged 17 concentric rings in unprecedented detail.
Notably, these expanding shells are moving away from the binary system at a staggering 1,600 miles per second – about 1% of the speed of light. This observation reveals that dust production occurs at its greatest within these clumps, some of which can be as large as our entire solar system.
The discovery has significant implications for our understanding of where carbon chemistry originates and how binary star systems create the building blocks for life. If these shells survive the eventual supernova explosion of one or both stars, they could provide a glimpse into the creation of “starstuff” that eventually forms rocky planets like ours.
The JWST’s remarkable images have provided new insights into the dynamics of binary star systems and the role of dust in their formation. As researchers continue to study these cosmic phenomena, we may uncover even more secrets about our universe and its potential for life.
Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/james-webb-space-telescope/james-webb-space-telescope-watches-planet-forming-dust-shells-zooming-through-space